Six-month-old Arfan, burdened with heart disease, now finds himself in a sea of tragedy with the probability of losing his mother to the brutal train fire on Friday night.
As flames tore through the Dhaka-bound Benapole Express train, young mother Elina Yasmin, returning from her father's funeral in Rajbari, entrusted Arfan to her sister's care, urging her to escape.
However, Elina's whereabouts remained unknown as of the submission of this report at 8pm on Saturday.
The infant now stares with uncomprehending eyes at a world he cannot grasp, his mother still missing.
Rezaul Karim, Elina’s brother-in-law, said, “We have been searching for Elina everywhere since the incident. We went to the accident scene and looked through the injured and even among the dead at the hospitals but we still did not find her.”
“Her phone is switched off. We assumed that she had died. With her still missing, Arfan’s fate is uncertain,” he added.
Syed Sajjad Hossain, Arfan's father, grapples with grief and responsibility. The loss of his wife is compounded by the burden of caring for his ailing son alone.
“I do not know what to do, how to care for my child,” he said with tears. “We want justice for Elina if she is gone. And retribution for those who stole her life.”
Alongside Elina Yasmin, another young woman, Chandrima Chowdhury, a Pharmacy student at the University of Asia Pacific, remains missing following the fire.
Chandrima's family confirmed that after she boarded the train at 6pm on Friday they maintained contact with her until the fire broke out.
Her phone became unreachable afterwards. Despite extensive searches at the train station, hospitals, and various other locations, Chandrima's whereabouts remain unknown.
The fire, which engulfed three carriages of Benapole Express in Golapbagh on Friday night, claimed the lives of at least four individuals and left Elina and Chandrima, unaccounted for. Several others sustained injuries.
Survivors and witnesses recounted the horrific ordeal, with many visibly shaken by the suddenness and brutality of the incident.
Swadhin, a 21-year-old passenger, described witnessing flames engulfing the train and a person burning in an open window. Despite attempts to help, the individual tragically perished before their eyes.
“Such a scene is impossible to forget,” Shadhin shared.
The brutality of the incident has left many traumatised and struggling to cope with the terrifying experience.
Forensic efforts are underway to identify the four recovered bodies. Three have been identified as one male, one child, and one woman based on long hair. The gender of the fourth body remains undetermined, said Dhaka Railway Police Station Sub-Inspector Setafur Rahman.
“Samples for DNA analysis were collected from all four bodies at the DMCH morgue. Identification will be possible after autopsy,” he added.
